Clamp for repairing musical instruments



March 15, 1949. w. H. MEIER 2,464,599

CLAMP FOR REPAIRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Jan. 15, 1946 INVENTOR.

/ (fr BY%- z W0 50 f v Patented Mar. .15, 1949 CLAMP FOR REPAIRING MUSICAL v a INSTRUMENTS ,1 I Walter H. Meier, Englewood, N. .1.

Application January .15, 1946, Serial No. 641,201

3 Claims. (Cl. 144-297) This invention relates to clamps and is designed primarily for clamping together thin structures needing repairs. The invention is more especially suited for repairing breaks in the sound bodies of violins and other stringed instruments. When the belly of an instrument of this kind becomes cracked, it has been a very diflicult matter to repair the same with means heretofore at the disposal of mechanics.

The object of the present invention is to provide a clamp especially suited to this kind of work and which enables the repair to be made readily and thoroughly.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure l is a section through a portion of the sound box of a musical instrument to which the clamp has been applied for the purpose of making repairs, said clamp being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the clamp and that portion of the instrument to which it is applied.

Figure 3 is a-section on line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Fig. 2.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l designates a screw-threaded post having a central bore 2 extending therethrough and also provided with a longitudinal groove 3 constituting a keyway. Spaced anchoring pins 4 are extended from one end of the post and mounted radially in the post adjacent to said end is a clamping screw 5 provided with an annular collar 6 and a head 1.

A clamping sleeve 8 is slidably mounted on the post i and is held against rotation relative thereto by a key 9 extending into the sleeve. This key can be in the form of a screw threaded stud as shown. A nut In engages the post and is adapted to bear against one end of the sleeve 8 as shown.

A flexible element, which can be in the form of a strong wire II is extended through the bore 2 and one end thereof is threaded back and forth through a block l2 which serves as one of the 2 jaws of the clamp. The sleeve 8 constitutes the other jaw of the clamp.

In practice the wire II, which is of suitable length, is inserted through the wall W or the like at a point where repairs are to be made and is then inserted through a piece of material M to be used in making repairs and threaded through the block l2 constituting one of the clamping jaws. A suitable adhesive is applied to the exposed surface of the material M after which that end of the wire outside of the structure being repaired is inserted through the bore 2. It is drawn taut so that the post I will be held tightly. against the outer surface of the work W after which the wire is twisted about the pins 4 and about the screw 5 where it is tightened by turning the screw to clamp the wire against the post as shown. Obviously when the wire was drawn taut the piece of the material M was brought into position against the work W at the point where the repair is to be made and with the adhesive thereon located where it would be transferred to the work. Following the foregoing operation the nut I0 is turned so as to force the sleeve 8 toward the work and this sleeve. in cooperation with the anchored member 12 will cause the material M and the work W to be drawn tightly together and it can be so held until the adhesive has set. Thereafter, by detaching the wire from the post and feeding it downwardly within the post, the clamp member l2 can be released to a point where it is accessible readily and then removed with the wire from the repaired instrument.

What is claimed is:

1. A clamp for musical instruments including a threaded post having a longitudinal bore, a. sleeve slidably mounted on the post, said sleeve constituting a clamping element, a nut threadable along the post and against the sleeve for feeding the sleeve longitudinally of the post, a flexible element adjustably mounted in the bore and detachably anchored at one end to the post, and a clamping member connected to the other end of the flexible element beyond one end of the sleeve.

2. A clamp for musical instruments including a threaded post having a longitudinal bore, a sleeve slidably mounted on the post and constituting a clamping member, means preventin relative rotation of the sleeve and post, a flexible element detachably and adjustably anchored at one end to the post, said element being extended through the bore, a second clamping member connected to the other end of the flexible element,

and a nut threadable on the post and against the sleeve for adjusting the sleeve along the post and relative to the clamping member on the flexible element.

3. A clamp for repairing woodwork in musical instruments comprising a threaded post having a longitudinal bore, a flexible element extended therethrough, one end of the flexible element being adapted to extend through the work, a work-engaging clamping member detachably and adjustably connected to said end of the flexible element, means on the post for detachably and adjustably anchoring the other end of the fiexible element to the post, a work-engaging sleeve opposing the clamping member and slidably and non-rotatably mounted on the post,and a nut threadable on the post and against the sleeve,

whereby to place the flexible element under ten- $1011 and draw the sleeve and clamping member toward each other and against opposed faces of the work.

WALTER H. MEIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the m file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

